Spokane County, Washington
Spokane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington, named after the Spokane tribe. As of the 2010 census the population was 471,221, making it the fourth most populous county in Washington state. The largest city and county seat is Spokane, the second largest city in the state, behind Seattle. Spokane County was formed on January 29, 1858. It was annexed by Stevens County on January 19, 1864, and re-created on October 30, 1879. Law and government Spokane County is governed by a partisan Board of County Commissioners, one from each of three districts. They run in a partisan primary election within their own district, then compete countywide in the general election. Other elected officials include the Sheriff, Auditor (who is also responsible for elections), Assessor, Treasurer, and Prosecutor, which are also partisan offices. Spokane County has an appointed Medical Examiner. Here is a link to election results since 2000.http://www.dkosopedia.com/wiki/Spokane_County%2C_Washington Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.96%) is water. The lowest point in the county is the Spokane River behind Long Lake Dam (boundary of Stevens County) at 1538 feet (468 m) above sea level. (There is virtually no change in elevation between the dam and the mouth of the Little Spokane River inside Riverside State Park.) The highest point in the county is the summit of Mount Spokane at 5883 feet (1793 m). Geographic features Rivers *Spokane River *Little Spokane River *Latah Creek Lakes and reservoirs *Medical Lake *West Medical Lake *Liberty Lake *Newman Lake Summits and peaks *Mount Spokane Notable parks *Dishman Hills Natural Conservation Area *Riverside State Park National protected area *Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge Highways Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 417,939 people, 163,611 households, and 106,019 families residing in the county. The population density was 237 people per square mile (92/km²). There were 175,005 housing units at an average density of 99 per square mile (38/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.62% White, 2.00% Black or African American, 1.40% Native American, 1.88% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 0.82% from other races, and 2.76% from two or more races. 2.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 22.0% were of German, 10.7% Irish, 9.9% English, 7.6% United States or American and 6.4% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 163,611 households out of which 32.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.90% were married couples living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.20% were non-families. 28.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.02. In the county, the population was spread out with 25.70% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,308, and the median income for a family was $46,463. Males had a median income of $35,097 versus $25,526 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,233. About 8.30% of families and 12.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.20% of those under age 18 and 8.10% of those age 65 or over. Census-recognized communities Other communities Spokane County Library District Established in 1942, Spokane County Library District was created as a limited purpose municipal corporation to serve the unincorporated areas of Spokane County. In addition, the library also serves the cities and towns of Cheney, Deer Park, Fairfield, Latah, Medical Lake, Millwood, Rockford, Spangle, Spokane Valley, and Waverly (annexed to District); and Airway Heights (contracting with District). The total population served is 236,120 including 123,411 in the unincorporated county and 112,709 in affiliated cities and towns. Employing 164 full and part-time staff, the library system is composed of ten branches - two resource libraries (North Spokane and Spokane Valley) and eight community libraries; Airway Heights, Argonne, Cheney, Deer Park, Fairfield, Medical Lake, Moran Prairie, North Spokane, Otis Orchards and Spokane Valley. See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Spokane County, Washington References External links * http://www.spokanecounty.org/ * Spokane County Library District Category:Spokane County, Washington Category:Established in 1858